Module 7 BLM - Open School BC · Module 7 Blackline Masters This blackline master package, which...
Transcript of Module 7 BLM - Open School BC · Module 7 Blackline Masters This blackline master package, which...
English 12
Module 7 Blackline Masters
This blackline master package, which includes all section assignments, as well as selected worksheets, activities, and other materials for teachers to make their own overhead transparencies or photocopies, is designed to accompany Open School BC’s English 12 course. BC teachers, instructional designers, graphic artists, and multimedia experts developed the course and blackline masters .
Please note that the rights to reproduce materials from the English 12 Blackline Masters is restricted to the individual purchaser. Teachers may reproduce solely for use with their own classes.
The English 12 course consists of seven modules, the blackline master CD, the English 12 Source File, the English 12 Companion Website and the English 12 Media CD. English 12 is available in both print and online versions. English 12 components can be purchased individually or as a complete resource, the English 12 Resource Package. For Modules 2–4 and 6–7, depending on which modules are used, you will also need the following supporting resources for print and online versions of the course. All are available from Open School BC.
Resources:
Obasan by Joy Kogawa (Module 2) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Module 3) Keeper’n Me by Richard Wagamese (Module 4) Hamlet (BBC version ) DVD Death of a Salesman DVD Writing on the Run! grammar CD or print workbook
To order, contact:
Open School BC Customer Service Team or Visit our website at Phone: 250-356-2820 (Victoria) www.openschool.bc.ca 1 888 883 4766 (Toll-free) [email protected]
Copyright 2009 Open School BC, Victoria, British Columbia. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmissions in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permission, contact Open School BC.
Time Sequence Chart
ACT ONE
First Time Sequence—Present:Pages 11–27 to stage direction Their light is out.
Second Time Sequence—Memory Interlude:Pages 27–41 to stage direction Happy in pajamas has come down the stairs.
Third time Sequence—Present:Pages 41–44 to stage direction Uncle Ben, carrying a valise
Fourth Time Sequence—Simultaneous:Pages 44–47 to stage direction Ben (as Willy comes toward him through the wall-line of the kitchen.)
Fifth Time Sequence—Memory Interlude:Pages 47–52 to stage direction Ben is gone, but Willy is still speaking to him,
Sixth Time Sequence—Present: Pages 52–65, the end of Act One.
ACT TWO
Seventh Time Sequence—Present: Pages 71–76 to stage direction In the middle of her speech,
Eighth Time Sequence—Present: Pages 76–82 to stage direction On Howard’s exit,
Ninth Time Sequence—Memory Interlude:Page 82 the next seven lines to stage direction Howard’s Son:
Tenth Time Sequence—Present:Pages 82–84 to stage direction Howard exits, pushing the table off left.
Eleventh Time Sequence—Memory Interlude:Interlude: Pages 82–90 to stage direction Bernard is a quiet, earnest, but self-assured young man.
Twelfth Time Sequence—Present:Pages 90–98 to stage direction Charley stares after him a moment, and follows.
Thirteenth Time Sequence—Present:Pages 98–1809 to stage direction A single trumpet note jars the ear.
Fourteenth Time Sequence—Simultaneous:Pages 109–110 to stage direction Light on house area snaps out.
Fifteenth Time Sequence—Present:Page 110 to stage direction Operator’s Voice: Standish Arms, good evening!
Sixteenth Time Sequence—Simultaneous:Pages 110–115 to stage direction Willy exits left.
Seventeenth Time Sequence—Present:Pages 115–116 to stage direction They exit. Stanley looks toward left.
Eighteenth Time Sequence—Memory Interlude:Interlude: Pages 116–122 to stage direction Stanley comes quickly in from the right
Nineteenth Time Sequence—Present:Page 122 to stage direction The waiter picks up the chairs.
Twentieth Time Sequence—Present:Pages 122–125 to stage direction Biff moves outside, Linda following.
Twenty-First Time Sequence—Memory Interlude:Pages 125–127 to stage direction Ben drifts off upstage and goes out of sight.
Twenty-Second Time Sequence—Present:Pages 127–133 to stage direction Ben appears in the light just outside the kitchen.
Twenty-Third Time Sequence—Simultaneous:Pages 135–136 to stage direction As the car speeds off, the music crashes down in a frenzy of sound,
Twenty-Fourth Time Sequence—Present: (Requiem) Pages 136 to the end of Act Two.
Activity 1: Set Design Analysis
Read the description of the set and the introductions to Willy and Linda
on the opening pages of the play in your text, pages 11–12. Look for
details that illustrate the differences between the realistic and the
expressionistic elements of the play.
1. Make note of the use of colour: with what colour is the Loman house bathed?
With what colour are the surrounding apartment buildings associated?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. What contrasting details are given to show the difference between the way the
Loman house looks and the feelings associated with it?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. What are the only props in the kitchen?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. What do the set instructions say about the entire setting?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. Before the house lies an “apron.” What happens on this forward area?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: A Close Reading of the Opening Scene
Read the opening lines of the first time sequence to stage directions
They share a soft laugh, Act One, pages 11–20, and watch the
complete Death of a Salesman DVD version of the first time sequence
to 00:17:45 to accommodate the scenes between Biff and Happy and
between Linda and Willy that have been inter-cut for dramatic purpose.
Answer the following questions in full sentences.
1. Give two examples of Willy’s contradictions.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Give two examples of Linda’s excuses for Willy’s behaviour.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. Give an example of Willy’s “big talk”—inflating his worth as a salesman.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. Give two examples why Willy is angry about Biff.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. Although the play takes place shortly after the Second World War, which car did
Willy believe he was driving (and what year) when he almost went off the road
and had to come back early from his trip?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Biff and Willy
Some interpreters have seen the focus of the play to be the love-hate (father-son)
relationship between Willy and Biff. It has even been said that their relationship is
oedipal. However you choose to interpret the play will depend on your response to
both the text and to the DVD version.
Take time to review both the textual and the DVD versions of the
scene. (Death of a Salesman text page 26 and DVD First Time
Sequence, up to 00:17:45).
Answer the following questions to help you find your way.
1. Notice how Biff unconsciously reveals his true feelings about himself and the
source of his inner turmoil. How does Biff answer when Happy asks, “What
happened, Biff? Where’s the old humor, the old confidence?” (page 21)
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. In spite of his mocking of Biff, Willy appears to be unconsciously preoccupied
with him. How do you know this to be true?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. In your Death of a Salesman text—page 26, Biff brings up the idea of hitting up
his former boss, Bill Oliver, for a loan. Happy assures him that he will succeed.
What reason does Happy give (one of Willy’s primary values for getting ahead)?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. Also in the text, Biff reveals why he quit working for Bill Oliver. This kind of
behaviour was not only condoned but encouraged by Willy and affects both Biff
and Happy’s character. Why did he quit?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. As the first time sequence comes to an end, Willy can be heard talking to
himself. What’s he talking about?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Welcome to Willy’s World
Take time to review both the textual and the DVD versions of the
scene, (pages 30–33 and Death of a Salesman DVD from 00:17:35 to
00:23:15)
Besides imparting his philosophy for getting ahead in the business world, Willy
indulges in some “big talk” in which he inflates himself and his reputation. Give
three examples.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Activity 2: Editing Sentences
Each of the following sentences may contain a problem in punctuation. One or
more of the sentences may be correct. No sentence contains more than one error.
If you find an error, draw a circle around it.
For more information on sentence error types, see the section on “Sentence Errors
Checkup” in Writing on the Run!
1. My sister has caught three kinds of salmon from our dock. Coho, Sockeye and
Chinook.
2. The causes of voter alienation are mendacious politicians and too-frequent
elections.
3. Having two high-strung cats, I have learned two things, patience and tolerance.
4. As the eagle began to soar above the harbour; the gulls began to clamour.
5. Yesterday we planned to spend the afternoon at the beach; however; i t rained
all day.
Activity 1: Willy Comes Up Short
Read the scene carefully in your text—pages 27–41 and view the
Death of a Salesman DVD from 00:23:15 to 00:29:00. Answer the
following questions.
Besides imparting his philosophy for getting ahead in the business world, Willy
indulges in some “big talk” in which he inflates himself and his reputation. Give
three examples.
1. According to Willy’s inflated sales figures, his commission would be two
hundred and twelve dollars. What are the actual figures?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Linda adds up the weekly bills. How much do they owe?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Willy says that the Chevrolet is the greatest car ever built. How does he
contradict himself?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Section 1 Assignment: Part 1
Two-paragraph Character Profile or Idealized View Commentary
For your assignment on the first two time sequences of Act One in Death of a Salesman, you
have two choices. Read through each carefully before you decide which one to complete.
Option A: Character Profile
Write a two-paragraph profile of one of the members of the Loman family. Strive for clarity,
unity, and provide the necessary specific details from the play to make your answer complete.
Option B: Threads of Act 1 Commentary
Willy Loman longs for the “good old days.” For him, this seems to mean trees, shrubs, flowers,
and vegetables. In the good old days there were no looming apartments and there were plenty
of trees. You would almost think the Loman house was somewhere in the country rather than
in Brooklyn.
Write a two-paragraph commentary on Willy’s idealized view of the past. Give at least three
examples of Willy’s idealized view of the past, as reflected in his speeches and underscored
by the stage directions Miller has provided. Please include specific details from the play to
complete your commentary.
Now all that is missing is the “passion” of the writer. This ingredient is added if the writer is
excited about the topic and genuinely wants to communicate ideas to the reader. So do pick a
topic of interest. Further, the list of topics here is not exhaustive. If you think there is another
thread of the play that you are more interested in, contact your teacher to develop another
topic together.
Each paragraph should be no longer than 200 words. As you develop them, consider how to
use transition words to link the paragraphs. Also consider how you will express a conclusion
in your last paragraph.
Evaluation Guidelines Marks
Multi-Paragraph Scoring Guide x 3 to mark your profile or
commentary
Option A:
Main points to consider for content: (12 marks)
Have you identified your character precisely?
Have you included several precise points about his/her
character?
Have you included specific details from the play to complete
your profile?
Main points to consider for form: (6 marks)
Are sentences complete?
Are spelling and punctuation correct?
Did you edit your paper?
Have you organized your paper?
Option B:
Main points to consider for content: (12 marks)
Are your examples appropriate and do they reveal that you
understand the topic?
Have you provided sufficient details to round out your
commentary?
Main points to consider for form: (6 marks)
Are sentences complete?
Are spelling and punctuation correct?
Did you edit your paper?
Have you organized your paper?
Your paragraph and commentary responses will be marked on the
six-point scale for responding to literature (Multi-Paragraph Scoring
Guide) offered at the end of this module. Review the scale and
strive to write a high-level response.
18
Total Marks /18
Section 1 Assignment: Part 2
Creative Assignment
For your creative assignment, you will have two options. Read through each carefully before
you decide which one to complete.
Option A: Set Design
Design the set that will house the entire play on the stage. You may choose to pick up on the
design suggestions made by the playwright or you may invent a set of your own interpretation.
Your design can be:
• A series of sketches in any medium
• A diorama (a 3D collage that uses a three fold back drop)
• A poster board
• A Web page
• A “drama box” or miniature version of the stage
The entire play takes place in or in front of the Loman house. On the backdrop to the set,
lights can be shone in such a way to represent either the huge apartment houses or the
pastoral scenes in Willy’s memory interludes.
Elements of your presentation:
• Include some introductory remarks in which you explain the form and function of
your set design.
• Draw your teacher’s attention to the way the set accommodates the movement of
the actors from scene to scene and the use of props.
• Explain briefly how the set’s lighting can be used to suggest different settings or
moods or soliloquies.
Option B: Dramatic Recording
Select a two-minute (minimum time required) portion of the play to dramatize and record.
Voices must be in character and must demonstrate an understanding of the meaning behind
the words.
This creative part of the assignment should allow you to choose a two-minute (minimum)
piece of dialogue from the first two time sequences. It might be wise to choose a dialogue
between two characters so that you won’t have to imitate too many voices.
The goal of this project is to bring to life not only a selection of play, but also the personalities
and voices of the characters.
Elements of your presentation:
• Step one: Select an appropriate passage from the play that you can play with and
that allows you to use at least two different voices.
• Step two: Your objective is to get as full a sense as you can of the personality and
voice of the speakers. Jot down a few details that will help you understand each of
the characters. What was important to him or her? What were his or her
motivations? What drove his or her dreams? Desires? Fears?
• Step three: Practice the kinds of voices you want to use for the characters. Then,
using your best interpretation of character and your best imitation of voice, record a
reading of the portion of the play you have selected. Your aim is to pretend to be
the speaker and to present the best reading you can.
You may use a tape recorder, CD burner, mp3 file, .wav file, or, if you have no other options,
make an appointment with your teacher to deliver the reading over the telephone. Remember
that you are to find and perform the drama and emotion behind the words, so play with your
voice and make the reading come alive.
Evaluation Guidelines Marks
Option A: Set Design
You will be awarded marks according to the effectiveness of your overall
presentation. The set design should combine a design and an explanation of
the way the set will function to accommodate the different scenes.
Design: 12 marks
Explanation: 6 marks
Option B: Dramatic Recording
Your presentation will be marked according to the following scale. You will
be awarded marks according to the quality of your spoken presentation and
the effectiveness of your interpretation of the meaning behind the words and
of your portrayal of the characters’ personalities.
Volume/Pacing: 3 marks
Expression: 3 marks
Dramatic Flair—The reading brings to life the meaning behind
the words: 6 marks
Convincingly portrays the speakers’ personalities: 6 marks
18
18
Total Marks /18
Section 1 Assignment: Part 3
Journal Entries
What Is a Journal?
A journal is your place to record your ideas, feelings, questions, and reflections about all that
you encounter in English 12. Your journal is, more specifically, a way to practice using the
concepts and ideas studied in your course work. The journal entries will be collected and
marked at the end of each section.
Typically, people writing in a journal, diary, or web log use reflective writing, especially when
relaying events from their personal life, expressing an opinion, or sharing their feelings about
anything. Reflective writing is especially useful as a tool to help you connect to and cement
with your learning. Any journal entry should include reflective writing; it helps learners to not
only remember what they learned, but also to express their feelings about a topic. It also
enables students to share questions about their course performance and express any
connections felt between current and past learning as well as any thoughts for the future.
The following sample of journal writing is also an example of reflective writing.
I thought the article about needle exchange depots was balanced in how it addressed both
sides of the issue. I wouldn’t want to have a needle exchange near my house because I have
kids and I don’t want them exposed to local crime. But I think they are really necessary in
helping to reduce illness and the spread of disease.
The intention is for you to have a personal place to take note of, and pride in, all that you have
read, learned and enjoyed in this challenging and rewarding course. Submitting your journal
entries also gives your teacher insight into your learning process.
There are no specific guidelines for the recommended length of an entry, but in general you
should aim for 150–200 words unless otherwise specified. Although you are not marked on
the quality of your written expression, avoid spelling or grammatical errors, and write in the
first person. Complete each journal entry in the space provided.
How Will My Journal Entries Be Evaluated?
You will submit your journal entries to your teacher at the end of each section. You must
submit work of good quality to earn full marks. Do not wait until the last minute to scribble
down a few quick ideas.
When you submit all the entries from one section, your teacher will mark three journal entries,
based on the Journal Scoring Guide. Each journal entry is worth 4 marks, for a total of 12
marks per section.
Journal Entry 1.1:
Responding to Act One
Take time now to write a fully developed journal response to some element of Act
One.
If you wish, you may choose to respond using one of the following prompts:
• Summarize the action of a scene.
• Comment in a sentence or two on the significance of the scene. How does
it fit in the structure of the play as a whole? What would be different
without it?
• Ask questions about the scene. Is there anything confusing in it? Ask
questions of one of the characters.
• Quote lines that you like and comment on them.
• Give your reactions to one or more elements in the scene—the action or
demeanour of one of the characters, the language, or an idea that has
emerged and that strikes you.
• Discuss relationships between characters and quote from their speeches
to support your opinion.
• Pretend to be an actor playing one of the parts in the scene. Get inside
that person’s mind. How does that character feel about himself or herself,
about others, about the situation of the scene?
Journal Entry 1.2:
Willy Loman
In a fully developed journal response, write your personal impressions of Willy Loman as
he is presented in the opening scene of the play.
Journal Entry 1.3:
Biff
In a fully developed journal response, write your personal impressions of Biff as
he is presented in the opening scene of the play.
Journal Entry 1.4:
Willy’s World
In a fully developed journal response, write down your impressions of Willy as he
appears in the first part of the memory interlude with Biff and Happy. Try to be as
honest as possible when describing what you think about Willy’s behaviour
towards his sons.
Journal Entry 1.5:
Revisiting Important Scenes
Much is revealed in the scene you have just studied:
• Linda’s role as the one who manages the household (page 35).
• Willy’s admission that he’s not liked by the buyers or
his fellow salesmen (pages 36–37).
• Biff’s cocky “I can get away with anything” behaviour (page 40–41).
• Willy’s awareness that he might be in some way responsible for Biff’s
behaviour (pages 40–41).
• The first appearance of The Woman (pages 37–39).
Write a fully developed journal entry in which you discuss your personal response
to any one of the above topics.
Evaluation Guidelines Marks
Your journal entries will be marked according to the Journal
Scoring Guide x 3 (included in the Scoring Guides and Checklists
section of the Appendix.)
12
Total Mark /12
Activity 1: Willy’s Guile
Read the Third Time Sequence—Present: pages 41–44 to stage
direction “Uncle Ben, carrying a valise” and a Fourth Time Sequence—
Simultaneous: pages 44–47 to stage direction “Ben (as Willy comes
toward him through the wall-line of the kitchen.)” Then answer the
following questions, and watch Death of Salesman DVD 00:29:00 to
00:34:10 minutes.
1. In the DVD, Willy’s question to Charley about the new ceiling he has put up is
interpreted as a trick to divert Charley’s attention so that Willy can peek at his
cards. There is no suggestion of this in the text (pages 43–44).
Considering what is going on in the conversation at the time, give another
reason why Willy might mention the new ceiling at this point.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. In these two scenes, Willy gets offers of financial help. What are the offers and
who makes them?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Willy’s Boasts
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene. (Fifth Time Sequence—Past: pages 47–52 to stage direction
“Ben is gone” and Death of a Salesman DVD - 00:34:10 to 00:39:24
minutes). Answer the following questions.
1. Ben’s first full-fledged appearance is one of the busiest scenes in the play. All
of the principal characters are on the stage. Willy uses the occasion to boast
about his sons and the rural charms of Brooklyn to his older brother.
He even makes two outlandish claims about what Brooklyn has to offer. What
are they?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. What are the three characteristics Willy tells Ben he is trying to instill in his
sons?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Biff, Happy, and Linda
There are two exchanges in this scene (Sixth Time Sequence: first part,
pages 53–61, to stage direction “Willy walks in”) between Biff and Happy in
which Happy is not the hero-worshipping younger brother. Rather, he takes
his mother’s side in criticizing Biff for his attitude towards his father and the
business world.
1. Cite three examples of where Happy is critical of Biff.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. When Linda tells the boys about the woman who witnessed Willy’s “accident,”
Biff suddenly asks, “What woman?” In the brief exchange that follows (page
58), Linda can’t quite answer the question. In the DVD (00:43:31–00:43: 40),
Kate Reid perfectly captures Linda’s mixture of surprise, puzzlement, and
suspicion.
How much do you think Linda knows about The Woman in Boston? What
makes you think this?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Willy’s Plans
Answer the following questions:
1. Willy gives two contradictory instructions to Biff about how to talk and behave
when he see his old boss Bill Oliver about a loan. What are they?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Willy also offers the advice that it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. What
is his reason for saying that (which reveals one of Willy’s principles for success
in the world of business)?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. What does Willy suggest Biff tell Oliver about his time out West?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. What does Linda ask Willy to do in the morning? What’s his response?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Editing Sentences
Each of the following sentences may contain an apostrophe problem. One or more
of the sentences may be correct. No sentence contains more than one error. If you
find an error, draw a circle around it.
1. Marise, whose arms were laden with a pile of tattered texts, asked, “Who’s
books are these?”
2. It’s all I can do to throw out it’s refuse.
3. My four grandparents’ greatest concern is reserved for their eight
grandchildrens’ welfare.
4. Their’s is a love that’ll never fade over time.
5. “Whatever work’s for you, works for me,” said the proud father.
Section 2 Assignment: Part 1
Character Diary Entries
For this assignment you will use the resources of Act One in both the
textual and the DVD versions of the play: Death of a Salesman-Act
One, pages 11–69 and Death of a Salesman DVD - Act One to
01:00:50.
The assignment is divided into three parts, two of which require written answers and the third
of which requires a dramatic recording. Read each part thoroughly to make sure you
understand completely how to organize and present your assignment.
Step 1
Select two significant characters other than Willy and write a diary excerpt for each character
that gives details of his/her perspective of the events of
Act One.
To give your diary excerpts authenticity, write in the first-person point of view. Also, provide
specific details of actual events from Act One to which your characters refer.
Step 2
Write one paragraph for each of your chosen characters. In each paragraph, discuss the
diverse motivations/biases/desires of each character for whom you’ve chosen to write the
diary excerpts.
Jot down a few details that will help you understand each character. What was important to
him or her? What were his or her motivations? What drove his or her dreams? Desires?
Fears?
Address the reasons that lie behind each character’s actions and statements: each character
has been affected by Willy; each character seems to care for him. At the same time, they have
their own perspectives on him.
What motivates Biff? Why has he come back to the Loman household? Why does he not
reveal to Linda or to Happy what he knows about Willy?
Why does Linda put up with the verbal abuse Willy heaps on her? Why does she protect Willy
so much, in spite of the way he treats her? What does she want her sons to do?
Is Happy happy with the way his family seems to ignore him? How do you think he feels about
the way Willy prefers Biff?
Why does Bernard put up with the way Willy and Biff treat him? Why does Charley help Willy
even though Willy insults and mocks him?
Step 3
Take the longest of your diary excerpts from Step 1 and make a dramatic recording of it. The
goal of this part of the project is to bring to life the personality and voice of the character.
• Having selected your excerpt, play around with the voice and the personality you
want to develop.
• Practise the kind of voice you want to use for the character. Then, using your best
interpretation of character and your best imitation of voice, record a reading of your
entry. Your aim is to pretend to be the speaker and to present the best reading you
can.
You may use a tape recorder, CD burner, mp3 file, .wav file, or, if you have no other options,
make an appointment with your teacher to deliver the reading over the telephone. Remember
that you are to find and perform the drama and emotion behind the words, so play with your
voice and make the reading come alive.
Evaluation Guidelines for Step 1 Marks
Your written work will be marked using the Creative Composition and
Paragraph Scoring Guides.
Your oral presentation will be marked using the Oral Presentation Scoring
Guide. Review the scale and strive to write a high-level composition.
Step 1:
Each diary excerpt is worth 6 marks for content:
• Give a title to each diary excerpt so that your teacher knows
whose point of view you are describing.
• You should write each character’s excerpt in the first-person point
of view. Your entries will show that you understand your
characters, according to the information you’ve gained from
reading the text and watching the DVD.
• Your entries make specific references to details and events in Act
One to show that you not only understand your characters but
also the ways they are affected by the events in the act.
Creative Composition Scoring Guide x 2 12
Total Marks /12
Evaluation Guidelines for Step 2 Marks
Step 2: Each of your paragraphs is worth 6 marks for content:
(12 in total):
• Each of the paragraphs should show that you have a good
knowledge of the information provided in Act One for your chosen
characters.
• Your opinions of the motivations, biases, and desires of your
chosen characters should be logically related to the evidence
given in Act One.
Paragraph Scoring Guide x 2 12
Total Marks /12
Evaluation Guidelines for Step 3 Marks
Step 3: Using the Oral Presentation Scoring guide, your spoken presentation
will be evaluated on the quality and effectiveness of your interpretation of
each character’s perspective related to
Act One.
Oral Presentation Scoring Guide x 2 12
Total Marks /12
Evaluation Guidelines for Section 2 Assignment, Part 1 Marks
Step 1: Creative Composition Scoring Guide X 2 12
Step 2: Paragraph Scoring Guide X 2 12
Step 3: Oral Presentation Scoring Guide (6-point scale) X 2 12
Total Marks:
/36
Section 2 Assignment: Part 2
Journal Entries
Submit all of your journal entries for evaluation for this section, once they have been
completed, for a maximum total of 12 marks. Your teacher will select your three best journal
entries for grading.
Journal Entry 2.1:
Happy the Peace Maker?
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the scene. (Death
of Salesman -Third time Sequence—Present: page 41 and Death of Salesman
DVD - starting at 00:29:00).
The first of these two brief scenes is the only one in which Willy and Happy are
alone together. Speculate on why Happy has come down without Biff to comfort
his father. Could Happy be trying to mediate between Willy and Biff? Could he be
trying to build himself up in Willy’s eyes? How do the two brothers differ?
Write a fully developed journal entry in which you discuss your personal response
to Happy’s role.
Journal Entry 2.2:
Ben’s Value to Willy
Willy’s brother Ben stands in sharp contrast to the Brooklyn branch of the Loman
clan. Not only has Ben made a fortune, he leads a glamorous life, travels the
world, and is the source of the family’s history. Despite Willy’s precarious
economic situation, he does not seem to envy Ben’s wealth or expect Ben to help
him financially.
What does Ben mean to Willy? Perhaps Willy’s speech toward the end of this
scene (bottom of page 51 to top of 52) beginning “Can’t you stay a few days?”
gives a clue, especially his closing statement: “…I still feel—kind of temporary
about myself.”
In your own words, describe Ben’s importance to Willy in a fully developed journal
response.
Journal Entry 2.3:
Linda’s Role
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the scene. (Death
of Salesman -Sixth Time Sequence: first part, pages 53–61, to stage direction
“Willy walks in” and Death of a Salesman DVD - 00:39:24 to 00:49:33 minutes).
This is the longest scene that features Linda alone with her two sons. We learn
more about each of these characters, their relationships to each other and to
Willy.
Write a fully developed journal entry in which you discuss your personal response
to Linda in this scene.
Journal Entry 2.4:
“Father and Son”
Take time to review both the textual and the DVD versions of the scene. (Death
of Salesman -Sixth Time Sequence: final, pages 61–69, from stage direction
“Willy walks in” to the end of the act and Death of a Salesman DVD - 00:49:33 to
1:00:22).
You may begin to think that this play could just as easily be titled, Father and
Son. Certainly the relationship between Willy and Biff is a central axis of the play.
The two men clearly have differences, but they also have similarities.
Write one or two fully developed paragraphs to describe how Willy and Biff differ
and what characteristics they have in common.
Journal Entry 2.5:
Select an Element
Write a fully developed reader response journal on one of the topics raised in
this lesson. For example, you might write about the use of symbols, or the use of
expressionism in stage directions or in characterization
Evaluation Guidelines Marks
Your journal entries will be marked according to the Journal
Scoring Guide x 3 (included in the Scoring Guides and Checklists
section of the Appendix.)
12
Total Mark /12
Activity 1: Symbolism
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene. (Death of a Salesman pages 71–76 and the Death of a
Salesman DVD - 01:00:50 to 01:05:07).
The following questions are to do with symbolism in the play. Interpreting
symbols can be somewhat subjective—that is, there may be more than one
right answer. Make sure you interpret the symbol in the context of the play.
One way to approach the subject of symbols is to make sure you look for what
the writer intends, not just your view of the meaning of a symbol. For example,
you might personally associate the colour white with death. In a particular stage
setting, however, the colour white might be used to suggest innocence or purity.
1. Willy’s obsession with planting a garden is symbolic in at least two ways.
Explain what these ways are
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Explain two ways the symbol of planting a garden relates to other symbolic
events in the play.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. What is the most likely reason why the director of the DVD version ends the
scene with Willy driving off in his car?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Willy’s Idol
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene. (Death of a Salesman pages 76–82 and the Death of a
Salesman DVD - from 01:05:07 to 01:12:22).
1. What is the symbolism in Willy’s last name and that in his salesman idol’s
name?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. In the last line of his main speech, Willy sums up his situation. How does this
compare to Dave Singleman’s reputation?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. When Willy says that Dave Singleman died “the death of a salesman,” what
does he mean (second line, page 82)?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. Why does Willy keep mentioning Howard’s late father?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Editing Sentences
The following sentences may contain problems in grammar, usage, word choice,
spelling, or punctuation. One or more of the sentences may be correct. No
sentence contains more than one error. If you find an error, draw a circle around it.
1. The entire population of the valley turned out to build the barn, they finished
it in three days.
2. While kayaking up the inlet, we tried trolling for salmon, playing with our
sails, and to use our digital camera.
3. We often had to except the fact that supper would often find us eating dried
food, not fish.
4. We also saw the negative affects on wildlife created by careless campers
who leave behind garbage.
5. Everyone agreed that each camper should clean up their garbage.
Activity 1: Willy’s Guilt
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene. (Death of a Salesman: pages 90–95 and Death of a Salesman
DVD - from 01:19:55 to 01:25:47). Answer the following questions.
1. In this scene there are two echoes of other scenes in the play, one explicit
in the DVD, the other in the text. What are they?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. What does Charley reveal about Bernard’s reason for going to Washington?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. What does Bernard’s response to Charley’s revelation say about his character?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Section 3 Assignment: Part 1
Creative Project: The Interview
In this assignment, you will formulate fifteen interview questions that you would like to ask to a
character of your choice from Death of a Salesman. Then you’ll compose an interview
transcript. Finally, you will record a mock interview that includes both the questions, and your
character’s responses to them. For evaluation, you will submit the following:
• Rough draft of your interview transcript
• Final draft of your interview transcript
• Mock interview recording
You may use a tape recorder, CD burner, mp3 file, .wav file, or, if you have no other options,
make an appointment with your teacher to deliver the reading over the telephone.
Step One: Brainstorm
In preparation to complete this assignment, you’ll need to think about how you would interview
a character of your choice.
To begin the process, do some brainstorming. Jot down details about some of the characters
before you decide which one to interview. While generating ideas, you might find yourself
leaning towards one character in particular.
Once you’ve chosen a character, add details about his or her life and start to write down ideas
you will want to explore. Create as full a biography as you can for your chosen character.
Take the interview pointers into consideration.
Step Two: Interview Questions
Choose your character, martial the evidence you’ve brainstormed, and try to create at least
fifteen good questions you’ll want to ask your character.
Step Three: Interview Responses
Write down the possible answers to your interview questions. You may wish to refer to direct
quotations from the play to help formulate your final responses, which you are expected to
write using your own words. Try to develop a “voice” for your answers. Remember, you wil l be
making a recording of the interview in which you will be speaking both parts: interviewer and
interviewee.
Step Four: Draft of Interview Transcript
Create a rough draft of a transcript of your interview. It’s from this transcript that you will be
recording your interview. You will submit your first draft of the interview for evaluation as part
of the Section Assignment. Be sure to print off a copy, or save the draft with a file name
different from that of your final draft. That way you will have evidence of the changes that
have been made between the two versions.
Step Five: Final Draft and Recording
Polish the rough draft of the transcript into a final product. It’s from this final transcript that you
will be recording your interview.
Once you’ve completed your final draft of the transcript, you’re ready to make your recording.
Assessment Guidelines
The Transcript
Try to address the following points when creating your transcript:
• Your transcript must be logically organized and clearly written.
• Your questions should be created in such a way as to allow the character to reveal
insights into his or her life.
• The answers should be taken from the text and be logically related to the
questions.
• Your transcript needs to have details of explanation in which you suggest why you
are asking certain questions and what information you hope to get from your
character in response.
• You might wish to include reference to how a character responds physically to
some of the questions (whether or not he or she appears to be lying, for instance).
Body language could be described, for example:
– “His eyes gazed downwards”
– “He shifted from foot to foot.”
– “She continuously pulled at a lock of hair and twisted the ring on her middle
finger.”
You should include a summary of what you’ve come to know about your character.
Evaluation Guidelines—Transcript Marks
Rough draft of transcript (evidence of edits between rough and
final drafts) 6
Final draft of transcript (Creative Composition Scoring Guide x 2) 12
Total Marks /18
The Recording
Try to include the following qualities in your recording:
• Audible volume level with natural pacing.
• Clarity of expression
• Dramatic flair—bring your characters to life
• Use voice to convincingly portray two distinct personalities.
Evaluation Guidelines—Recording Marks
Oral Presentation Scoring Guide (6-point scale) X 3 18
Total Marks /18
Evaluation Guidelines Section 3 Assignment Part 1 Marks
Total Marks /36
Activity 1: Willy’s Reality Check
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene. (Death of a Salesman: pages 95–98 to the stage direction,
“Charley stares after him a moment.” and the Death of a Salesman
DVD - from 01:25:47 to 01:30:45). Answer the following questions.
1. In the video, when Charley asks Willy, “When the hell are you going to grow
up? what does Willy do that shows his frustration and impotent anger?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. What does Charley reveal mean when he says that J.P. Morgan (the classic,
wealthy American business man), “with his pockets on was very well liked”
(page 97)?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. At the end of the scene, Willy asks Charley to wish him luck. To what is
he referring that needs a bit of luck, and why does Willy say, “Wish me”
(page 98)?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: A Happy Man
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene. (Death of a Salesman: pages 100–103 to the stage direction,
“The girl exits.” and the Death of a Salesman DVD - from 01:30:45 to
01:33:40). Answer the following questions.
1. In the text version, cite Stanley’s line that puts the time of the play soon
after the end of the Second World War.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Cite a line of Happy’s in this scene that indicates he is more interested in
setting up a big party night with Miss Forsythe and her friend than he is in
hearing what happened to Biff or, for that matter, treating their father to dinner.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Separate Agendas
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene. (Death of a Salesman: pages 103–109 and to the stage
direction, “A single trumpet note jars the ear.” and the Death of a
Salesman DVD - from 01:33:40 to 01:38:24). Answer the following
questions.
1. Happy’s initial response to Biff’s confession that he took Oliver’s pen is
short and sweet. It is also typical of Happy. What is Happy’s response and
in what way is it typical of him?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. When Happy quizzes Biff about his meeting with Oliver, he asks a question that
Willy puts to Biff in somewhat different form. What is the question and how does
Willy’s version differ from Happy?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. When Willy tells the boys he’s been fired, he repeats a phrase he has used
before: “The woods are burning, boys, you understand?” (page 107). When
does Willy first make this remark and in what context?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Frank’s Chop House
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene. (Death of a Salesman: pages 109–116 and to the stage
direction, “They exit. Stanley looks toward left.” and the Death of a
Salesman DVD - from 01:38:24 to 01:43:25). Answer the following
questions.
1. Why does Willy’s memory interlude of Bernard end with Bernard asking if
Uncle Willy is in Boston?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. What does Willy want Biff to tell Oliver about why he has his pen. How is this
advice typical of Willy?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. How does Biff describe Willy to Letta and Miss Forsythe?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. In spite of Willy’s obvious distress and of Biff’s obvious appeal to Happy’s better
instincts, of what is Happy most concerned? Is his concern true to his
character?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 2: Editing Sentences
The following sentences may contain problems in grammar, usage, word choice,
spelling, or punctuation. One or more of the sentences may be correct. No
sentence contains more than one error. If you find an error, draw a circle around it.
1. After we filled the car with gas. We drove off into the sunset.
2. In one afternoon I went through three fishing lures and caught nothing and
went home to eat macaroni and cheese.
3. I’ve been warned to look out for bears when I hike in the park; therefore, I’ve
decided to buy a bell and a whistle.
4. A person that fails can always rewrite the exam.
5. While driving, the scenery along the river is beautiful.
Activity 1: Restaurant Scene The following questions refer to the restaurant scene.
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the
scene to find examples of your opinions. (Death of a Salesman: pages
198–122 to the stage direction, “The waiter picks up the chairs.” and
the Death of a Salesman DVD - from 01:30:45 to 01:52:13).
1. In some ways, the restaurant scene simply confirms what we already know
about Happy In other ways, it shows his character in an even favourable
light.
Describe two ways in which Happy seems determined to make sure
everyone has a good time at the restaurant.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Give two examples of ways in which Happy deals with “reality” in the same way
as his father does. (You might find it interesting in this case to notice how a
particular action can be interpreted in more than one way.)
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. What happens in this scene that gives us a different view of Happy than as an
essentially good–natured person?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. Biff’s experience at Oliver’s office brought him to a major transformation—a new
understand of himself and of his family, Because he has faced some hard truths
about himself, he is keen to make sure his father does the same.
In fact, his father has done a similar thing that very day. What is similar
between Willy’s visit to Howard and Biff’s visit to Oliver?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. Biff’s experience at Oliver’s office brought him to a major transformation—a new
understand of himself and of his family, Because he has faced some hard truths
about himself, he is keen to make sure his father does the same.
In fact, his father has done a similar thing that very day. What is similar
between Willy’s visit to Howard and Biff’s visit to Oliver?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
6. Biff’s has trouble holding on to “the facts,” as he says he wants to. Give your
opinion of the reason why Biff backtracks and starts to tell Willy that, after all,
he will be going to see Oliver (page 111).
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
7. Whatever Willy’s faults, it’s hard not to feel compassion as the past rushes in on
him and forces him to a realization as great as Biff’s
What is the main difference between the memory interludes in this scene and
the ones we saw early, especially in Act One?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
8. What happens at the end of this scene that suggests that Willy, although not
entirely realistic, is a strong person, not easily “undone” by events?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
9. In the DVD, what does Willy do in the washroom that suggests he wants to see
everything more clearly?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
10. Just for fun—in the video, what prop glitch occurs in the washroom scene?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Section 4 Assignment: Part 1
Response to a Critical Essay of the Play
For this assignment in which you write a response to a critical essay, you have two choices.
For each choice, you have already written a personal response in your journal entries. Choose
to expand one of your journal responses.
You have been asked in two journal entries in this section to write journal responses to the
critical essays by Joyce Carol Oates and by Beverley Hume. Your journal responses indicate
how you feel about an aspect of the essays; now, you need to build on one of your responses
and explain how and why you feel as you do.
In this assignment, you will expand your journal response to one of the essays into a fully
developed composition of at least three paragraphs.
Option A
“Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman: A Celebration,” an essay by Joyce Carol Oates, found
on the following pages.
Taking into consideration your journal response to the essay by Oates, write a three-
paragraph composition in which you fully explain why you responded as you did.
Your explanation will incorporate specific references to the essay.
Option B
“Linda Loman as ‘The Woman,’” an essay by Beverley Hume, found on the following pages.
Taking into consideration your journal response to the essay by Hume, write a three-
paragraph composition in which you fully explain why you responded as you did.
Your explanation will incorporate specific references to the essay.
Assessment Guidelines
Your composition will be marked using the Multi-Paragraph Scoring Guide offered in this
module. Review the scale and strive to write a high-level composition.
When you submit this assignment, clearly identify to which essay you have responded.
The following criteria will be used in conjunction with the scoring guide to evaluate your essay:
Your composition shows that you’ve clearly taken your reader response and expanded it
by explaining how and why you responded as you did.
You have used specific references to the essay in your composition.
Evaluation Guidelines Marks
Multi-Paragraph Scoring Guide X 6 36
Total Marks /36
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman:
A Celebration
By Joyce Carol Oates
Originally published in Michigan Quarterly Review, Fall 1998, and reprinted in Where I’ve
Been, And Where I’m GoingCopyright © by Joyce Carol Oates
“He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start
not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your
hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It
comes with the territory.”
—Death of a Salesman
Was it our comforting belief that Willy Loman was “only” a salesman? That Death of a
Salesman was about—well, an American salesman? And not about all of us?
When I first read this play at the age of fourteen or fifteen, I may have thought that Willy
Loman was sufficiently “other”—”old.” He hardly resembled the men in my family, my father or
grandfathers, for he was “in sales” and not a factory worker or small-time farmer, he wasn’t a
manual laborer but a man of words, speech—what his son Biff bluntly calls “hot air.” His
occupation, for all its adversities, was “white collar,” and his class not the one into which I’d
been born; I could not recognize anyone I knew intimately in him, and certainly I could not
have recognized myself, nor foreseen a time decades later when it would strike me forcibly
that, for all his delusions and intellectual limitations, about which Arthur Miller is
unromantically clear-eyed, Willy Loman is all of us. Or, rather, we are Willy Loman, particularly
those of us who are writers, poets, dreamers; the yearning soul “way out there in the blue.”
Dreaming is required of us, even if our dreams are very possibly self-willed delusions. And we
recognize our desperate child’s voice assuring us, like Willy Loman pep-talking himself at the
edge of a lighted stage as at the edge of eternity—”God Almighty, [I’ll] be great yet! A star like
that, magnificent, can never really fade away!”
Except of course, it can.
* * *
It would have been in the early 1950s that I first read Death of a Salesman, a few years after
its Broadway premiere and enormous critical and popular success. I would have read it in an
anthology of Best Plays of the Year. As a young teenager I’d begun avidly devouring drama;
apart from Shakespeare, no plays were taught in the schools I attended in upstate New York
(in the small city of Lockport and the Village of Williamsville, a suburb of Buffalo), and so I
read plays with no sense of chronology, in no historic context, no doubt often without much
comprehension. Reading late at night when the rest of the household was asleep was an
intense activity for me, imbued with mystery, and reading drama was far more enigmatic than
reading prose fiction. It seemed to me a challenge that so little was explained in the stage
directions; there was no helpful narrative voice; you were obliged to visualize, to “see” the
stage in your imagination, the play’s characters always in present tense, vividly alive. In
drama, people presented themselves primarily in speech, as they do in life. Yet there was an
eerie, dreamlike melding of past and present in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy
Loman’s “present-action” dialogue and his conversations with the ghosts of his past like his
revered brother Ben; there was a melting of the barriers between inner and outer worlds that
gave to the play its disturbing, poetic quality. (Years later I would learn that Arthur Miller had
originally conceived of the play as a monodrama with the title The Inside of His Head).
In the intervening years, Willy Loman has become our quintessential American tragic hero,
our domestic Lear, spiraling toward suicide as toward an act of selfless grace, his mad scene
on the heath a frantic seed-planting episode by flashlight in the midst of which the once-proud,
now disintegrating man confesses, “I’ve got nobody to talk to.” His salesmanship, his family
relations, his very life—all have been talk, optimistic and inflated sales rhetoric; yet, suddenly,
in this powerful scene, Willy Loman realizes he has nobody to talk to; nobody to listen.
Perhaps the most memorable single remark in the play is the quiet observation that Willy
Loman is “liked . . . but not well-liked.” In America, this is not enough.
* * *
Nearly fifty years after its composition, Death of a Salesman strikes us as the most achingly
contemporary of our classic American plays. It has proved to have been a brilliant strategy on
the part of the thirty-four-year-old playwright to temper his gifts for social realism with the
Expressionistic techniques of experimental drama like Eugene O’Neill’s Strange Interlude and
The Hairy Ape, Elmer Rice’s The Adding Machine, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, work by
Chekhov, the later Ibsen, Strindberg, and Pirandello, for by these methods Willy Loman is
raised from the parameters of regionalism and ethnic specificity to the level of the more
purely, symbolically “American.” Even the claustrophobia of his private familial and sexual
obsessions has a universal quality, in the plaintive-poetic language Miller has chosen for him.
As we near the twenty-first century, it seems evident that America has become an ever more
frantic, self-mesmerized world of salesmanship, image without substance, empty advertising
rhetoric, and that peculiar product of our consumer culture “public relations”—a synonym for
hypocrisy, deceit, fraud. Where Willy Loman is a salesman, his son Biff is a thief. Yet these
are fellow Americans to whom “attention must be paid.” Arthur Miller has written the tragedy
that Illuminates the dark side of American success—which is to say, the dark side of us.
Linda Loman as “The Woman”
by Beverly Hume
It has never been acknowledged by critics of Miller’s Death of a Salesman that in Linda
Loman, one finds traces of an intense materialism which not only estranges her from her
husband, Willy, but places her in league with The Woman: who haunts Willy’s memory and,
along with the ghostly Ben, helps drive him toward suicide. Linda’s materialistic attitude
partially exists because, as family bookkeeper, she is aware of their financial problems; but it
primarily exists because of her absorption in Willy’s success dream, an absorption which
proves malignant, fatal.
In his stage directions, Miller characterizes Linda Loman as a woman with an “iron repression
of her exceptions to Willy’s behavior,” as a woman who not only loves Willy, but “admires him,
as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties served only
as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks
the temperament to utter and follow to their end.” Linda, then, is a woman who is at once
passive and possessed by intense (perhaps unconscious) longings; and in Salesman, her
“iron repression often combines with these longings to make her presence painful to Willy.
In the memory sequences of the play, for example, Willy frequently recalls how Linda’s
materialism increases his sense of failure. Just before “the Woman” first enters, Willy and
Linda engage in this economic exchange:
LINDA: ...Did you sell anything?
WILLY: I did five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston.
LINDA: No! Wait a minute, I’ve got a pencil. She pulls pencil and paper out of her apron
pocket. That makes your commission...Two hundred—my God! Two hundred and twelve
dollars!
WILLY: Well, I didn’t figure it yet, but...
LINDA: How much did you do?
WILLY: Well, I—I did—about a hundred and eighty gross in Providence. Well, no—it came
to—roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip.
LINDA, without hesitating: Two hundred gross. That’s...She figures.
WILLY: The trouble was that three of the stores were half closed for inventory in Boston.
Otherwise I woulda broke records.
LINDA: Well, it makes seventy dollars and some pennies. That’s very good.
First, Linda asks the tentative (and, for here, typical) question. Then, encouraged by Willy’s
response, grows excited at the amount of money, but when she sees Willy falter, she retreats
back to another tentative question. He fumbles, answers her question, and then, “without
hesitating,” she calculates (exactly) how well he’s done, finally offering the patronizing
sentiment, “Well, it makes seventy dollars and some pennies. That’s very good.” One finds
Linda repeating this pattern of meekness, materialistic excitement, more meekness, pragmatic
calculations, and, finally, patronizing compassion throughout the play. Indeed, it is not
surprising that “the Woman” enters Willy’s memory shortly after this particular dialogue—
directly, in fact, after his reflection that he fears “that I’ll never sell anything again, that I won’t
make a living for you [Linda], or a business...for the boys.” With mocking laughter, “the
Woman” disrupts Willy’s understandable anxiety about failing to meet Linda’s contradictory
demands; “the Woman” disrupts his statement to flatter him and tell him he need not worry
about failing her. And Willy responds quickly to the deception.
“The Woman” and audience know that she is lying, that she is manipulating Willy only for
money (or stockings); but her manipulations strangely mirror the deceptions Linda practices
on Willy, and it cannot be a coincidence that Miller early has Linda’s laughter “blend” with “the
Woman’s.” For both women contribute, through their material longings, to Willy’s final
destruction—”the Woman” mockingly, maliciously by her betrayal of Willy before Biff; Linda
unwittingly, in her repressed need to realize Willy’s materialistic success dream. Like “the
Woman,” Linda constantly lies to Willy to build him up, constantly insists that she doesn’t want
anything from him (even though she does), constantly tells him that she thinks him potent,
lively (even when it is clear that he is depressed).
Unlike “the Woman,” Linda loves Willy and even convinces herself that her deceptions are
done out of love for him; but a close consideration reveals that her motives are, at best,
mixed. Linda knows, for example, that Willy borrows $50 a week from Charlie to pretend he’s
making money; but she does not let Willy know that she knows. Instead, she admires his
desperation, claiming that it makes him a man of “character.” Similarly, Linda knows about the
pipe in the basement (knows about Willy’s suicidal drive), but does not talk to him about it
because, she says, it would “insult” him. Linda claims to be dishonest in order to protect Willy
and prevent him from committing suicide; but one cannot help but note that with such
rationalizations, she is able to continue to encourage Willy not only toward his doomed
success dream, but also toward his “proud” and distinctively materialistic suicide.
Miller subtly reinforces our impression of Linda’s materialism in other ways throughout the
play. When, for example, Willy proudly recalls Biff’s high school football game at Ebbet’s
Field, he asks Linda if she remembers how Biff looked “the tallest” when the team came out,
and she replies, “Oh yes. And in gold.” This mention of “gold” sends Willy into a reverie about
Biff being like “a young god. Hercules—something like that. And the sun, the sun all around
him,” but Linda remains silent on the subject. Similarly, when Willy is inspired by Happy’s
deluded “million-dollar idea” to start a sporting goods line with Biff (and with Biff’s former
employer Bill Oliver), Linda encourages their false hopes with exclamations of “Wonderful!”
and exaggerated remembrances of Biff’s relationship with Oliver. While Linda desperately
wants Willy and her sons to succeed, her optimism here again seems false, patronizing, and,
like “the Woman’s” laughter, mocks Willy—and sensing the (however unconsciously), Willy
lashes back at her, which in turn angers Biff and abruptly terminates the dream. In the same
way, Linda’s constant “mending” of socks serves to remind Willy of “the Woman” and her
mockery and of his failure as a husband and father; but Linda persists in this activity because,
she says, new socks are too expensive.
It seems fitting, then, that the most strikingly materialistic sentiment comes from Linda Loman
at the play’s end. Here Linda expresses her final confusion about the “meaning” of Willy’s
suicide:
LINDA: ...Why did you do it? I search and search and I search, and I can’t understand it,
Willy. I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be nobody
home. We’re free and clear. We’re free. We’re free. We’re free...
Notes on Modern American Literature, Winter 1985, pp. 14-17.
Section 2 Assignment: Part 2
Journal Entries
Submit all of your journal entries for evaluation for this section, once they have been
completed, for a maximum total of 12 marks. Your teacher will select your three best journal
entries for grading.
Journal Entry 4.1:
A Critical Point of View
Read “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman: A Celebration,” an essay by Joyce
Carol Oates. Reflect on her argument and examples. Then, in a well-constructed
journal entry, write your personal response to her thesis that “Willy Loman is all of
us.”
This essay follows the previous section assignment—Section 4 Assignment:
Part 1: Response to a Critical Essay of the Play.
Journal Entry 4.2:
Happy
In a fully developed journal response, outline your personal response to
Happy’s behaviour in this scene. (You might wish to comment on whether or
not his behaviour is consistent with what you’ve seen of him up to this moment
in the play.)
Journal Entry 4.3:
Separate Agendas
Comment on the different agendas of Willy and his sons:
• Happy’s womanizing and his desire to placate Willy
• Biff’s growing desire to explode long-standing family myths
• Willy’s need to make good news where there’s none
Work your comments into a fully-developed journal response.
Journal Entry 4.4:
Biff: the Restaurant Scene
Write down your responses to Biff’s role in the restaurant scene. Work it into a
fully-developed journal response.
Journal Entry 2.5:
Linda Loman: Silent Accomplice
Carefully read the essay “LInda Loman as ‘The Woman’” by Beverly Hume.
Reflect on her argument and examples. Then, in a well-constructed paragraph,
write a journal response to her thesis.
This essay follows the previous section assignment—Section 4 Assignment:
Part 1: Response to a Critical Essay of the Play.
Evaluation Guidelines Marks
Your journal entries will be marked according to the Journal
Scoring Guide x 3 (included in the Scoring Guides and Checklists
section of the Appendix.)
12
Total Mark /12
Activity 1: Linda and the Boys
1. As soon as Linda asks if they care whether Willy lives or dies. Happy turns to
go upstairs and asks Biff to come with him. The stage directions state that Biff’s
angry response is delivered “with a flare of disgust” (page 123).
Why does Happy want to leave the scene and why is Biff angry with Happy?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. What reason does LInda give for wanting both Biff and Happy to get out and not
come back?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Climactic Scene
1. To the end, Willy contradicts himself. After say goodbye, Willy shouts, “May you
rot in hell if you leave this house!” Given Willy’s anger, why do you think he
wants him to stay?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Why does Willy continue to yell that Biff has ruined his own life out of spite,
while Biff insists on getting to the truth?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. Why does Biff want Willy to let him go?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. When Biff embraces him, breaks down and cries and (in the DVD) kisses Willy,
what is it that Willy finally understands?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Editing Sentences
The following sentences may contain problems in grammar, usage, word choice,
spelling, or punctuation. One or more of the sentences may be correct. No
sentence contains more than one error. If you find an error, draw a circle around it.
1. The lifeguard at the pool always said, “boys, it’s never too late to learn how
to swim.”
2. The current epidemic in obesity results form a lack of exercise, eating too
much and watching television too often.
3. Bob proudly showed off his new toy; it was a cherry-red pickup truck.
4. Two reasons for the epidemic in obesity are: eating too much and exercising
too little.
5. The sailors all agreed that they’re boat was the finest and fastest in the
harbour.
Activity 1: Delusions
The topics of critical debate we looked at in this lesson can be connected by the
topic of delusion or self-deception. To question the nature of reality is always fun,
so here’s your chance to think about the issue of delusion.
1. If you agreed with the critics who see Death of a Salesman as a criticism of the
cruelties of the capitalist system, who (or what) would you say is responsible for
Willy’s delusions?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. We’ve talked a lot about Willy’s delusions. What about Linda? In your opinion is
Linda deluded about Willy? Explain why or why not.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. At what point in the play does Biff lose his delusions?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. Here’s a tricky one. What about Happy’s delusions? In your opinion, is Happy
living in a world of delusion, or has he simply set up his reality to suit himself?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Section 5 Assignment: Part 1
Creative Project
For your final creative assignment, you will be given a choice of three projects. Read through
each carefully before you decide which one to complete.
Choose one of the following creative project options:
Option A:
Choose your own music and make a soundtrack for Act Two. This presentation will consist of
two parts:
• First, make a list of the music cues from the text of Act Two (giving page
references and the appropriate stage directions), and with the list of cues, list the
types of music you’ve chosen to make up your soundtrack.
• Second, make a recording of the music.
You may use a tape recorder, CD burner, mp3 file, .wav file—anything available to you.
Examples of Music Cues: Look for these and others as you make up your list:
• If you read Act Two carefully, you’ll see the music cues Miller has given for the
play. There is music to introduce the act, music between scenes, music to
accompany characters, and expressionistic music to create atmosphere.
• Willy, Ben and the boys have their own theme music which will often introduce
them as they come onto the set.
• As well, music is used to create atmosphere: when Willy challenges Charley to
fight the “music rises to a mocking frenzy” (page 90). As the curtain opens to Act
Two, the music is “gay and bright,” (page 71) to mirror Willy and Linda’s happiness.
As the scene opens in the restaurant with Stanley carrying in chairs, the music is
“raucous.”
• As Willy leaves the house to commit suicide, the music “rises in intensity, almost to
an unbearable scream” (page 136).
Option B:
Make a video version of one of the major scenes in Act Two: for example, the restaurant
scene, or the Boston hotel room scene, or the confrontation scene between Willy and Biff.
Pre-planning:
Write a brief analysis of the scene you wish to film. In it, you should introduce your cast,
explain the kinds of costumes you’ve chosen for your cast to wear, and some of the effects
you wish to create. For example, you might discuss the lighting, the props you’ve chosen, the
music, and the set you’ve created or used.
Since you will be using the text as your script, you need not write a script to accompany your
analysis. If you make any adaptations to the script, or take out any of the dialogue, please
explain what you’ve done and why you have done so.
Recording:
Strive for at least a five-minute video presentation of the scene you’ve chosen.
Option C:
Make an anthology of poems supposedly written by Willy Loman (discovered in the trunk of
his car after his suicide).
For this assignment, you are to act as both a poet and an editor putting together a collection
of poems.
First—as a poet, you will create a series of poems attributed to Willy Loman that were
discovered after his death and give each poem an appropriate title. Try to have at least a
dozen poems that should reflect some of the significant moments of Willy’s life. For
example (and these examples are only suggestions you might or might not wish to use):
• Willy’s dreams of being the perfect salesman, winning over buyers and making
great sales
• The lonely reality of driving hundreds of miles, having people make fun of him, and
barely selling enough to support his family
• Willy’s dreams for Biff, the great athlete who will become a successful
businessman
• The guilt he feels and can admit to in a poem about the scene in the Boston hotel
room (in fact, you might do a series of poems on this subject)
• The anger and guilt he feels about Linda, his wife
• His relationship with his brother, Ben
• His nostalgia for the world of nature or for a life devoted to using his hands
• His yearning for his absent father
As you see, you have a host of subjects on which to draw, limited only by your
imagination.
Second—as an editor, you need to have a creative format—in the form of a small
booklet—in which to present the poems: collect the poems, put them in chronological
order, write an introduction to the poems, and make a table of contents in which you list
the poems by title.
Also—for your booklet, design a front cover and include any number of graphics or
sketches with any of the poems.
Decide on Your Presentation
To present the poems, you might want to:
• Make a hand-bound booklet with the poems typed, printed or lettered in scrolling
calligraphy, and your own sketches or watercolours for the cover design and the
interior graphics
• Make a computer-generated booklet, using a variety of fonts for the different
poems, with computer-generated graphics for the cover design and the interior
graphics
• Make a PowerPoint presentation
Evaluation Guidelines Marks
Option A:
The List:
• List the music cues you are using and label them according
to the page and stage direction in the text.
• With your list of music cues, list the kinds of music you will
be recording (songs, bits of music, instrumental pieces).
• Also with your list, you’ll need to include a few sentences
explaining why you’ve chosen particular songs or bits of
instrumental music. (24 marks)
The Recording of the Soundtrack: Your soundtrack will be graded
according to the following criteria:
• Suitability of music to character, event, and atmosphere
(12 marks)
• Clarity of recording (6 marks)
• Imaginative blending of the different varieties of music
(6 marks)
Option B:
• Your analysis of the scene should be specific and precise.
Make sure your analysis is directly related to the video
version of the scene (12 marks).
• Your video version will be judged for its imaginative
creativity and clarity of presentation (36 marks).
Option C:
Your presentation will be graded for its overall effectiveness and its
imaginative creativity. These marks will be based on the originality,
focus, and unity of your presentation, the care you’ve put into your
work, and the coherence of your creative ideas.
To achieve the highest grade possible, you must include the
following in your anthology:
• A collection of at least a dozen poems with appropriate titles
• A booklet format in which to present the poems
• An introduction to the collection of poems
• A table of contents listing the poems in chronological order
and by title
• A front-cover design and interior graphics or sketches with
some of the poems
48
48
48
Total Marks /48
Section 5 Assignment: Part 2
Journal Entries
Submit all of your journal entries for evaluation for this section, once they have been
completed, for a maximum total of 12 marks. Your teacher will select your three best journal
entries for grading.
Journal Entry 5.1:
Video Reversals
Take time to review both the textual and the DVD versions of the scene. (Death
of a Salesman - pages 122–127 to the stage direction, “Ben drifts off upstage.”
and the Death of a Salesman DVD - from 01:50:50 to 01:58:32).
What’s your opinion of the way the director has re-ordered scenes twenty and
twenty-one? Does the reversal improve the play or not? Take the time to think
through the reasons for your opinion. Then write a solid journal response that
explains what you believe.
Journal Entry 5.2:
Catharsis
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the scene. (Death
of a Salesman - pages 122–133 to the stage direction, “Ben appears in the light
just outside the kitchen.” and the Death of a Salesman DVD - from 01:58:32 to
02:06:40).
As discussed in the lesson, Biff’s tearful embrace to his father signals a catharsis
for him and for Willy as well. Write a fully developed journal response to describe
how you felt when watching this scene on the DVD.
Journal Entry 5.3:
Ben’s Authority
Take time to review both the textual and the DVD versions of the scene. (Death
of a Salesman - pages 133–136 to the stage direction, “As the car speeds off.”
and the Death of a Salesman DVD - from 02:06:40 to 02:09:45).
Willy’s boasting and bragging suggests that he needs the approval of others.
Based on the evidence in the play, write a journal response about why Ben’s
approval seems to carry more weight than anyone else’s.
Journal Entry 5.4:
The Requiem
Take time to review both the textual and the video versions of the scene. (Death
of a Salesman - pages 137–139 to the end of Act Two and the Death of a
Salesman DVD - from 02:09:45 to the end).
You’ve read what others think about the Requiem. Now write a journal response
stating and explaining your own opinion.
Journal Entry 5.5:
Questioning Our Beliefs
One reason to study literature is to understand what writers have to say about the
world. To understand Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, you have spent a lot of
time reading, viewing, and thinking about the play. As a result, you have a good
idea of Arthur Miller’s take on certain aspects of American life in the late 1940s.
Willy Loman persists in believing in a system that doesn’t benefit him in any of the
ways that count. Do you know anyone who acts as Willy does? Do your beliefs
affect the way you plan to make a living?
Make a few notes on this topic in a journal response.
Evaluation Guidelines Marks
Your journal entries will be marked according to the Journal
Scoring Guide x 3 (included in the Scoring Guides and Checklists
section of the Appendix.)
12
Total Mark /12
ParagraPh Scoring guide
Content – what is said: Written Expression – how it’s said:
6 – WoW!
Your paragraph is insightful, engaging, and focused; it shows a thorough understanding of the task.
Analyses or presents the topic in an engaging and logical �mannerFocused topic sentence �Body is developed with interesting and convincing support �Concluding sentence makes a strong final statement of the �main idea
Tightly focused, on topic, and fully developed �Sophisticated vocabulary, word choice, and transitions �Sentence structure is varied and controlled �Few mechanical or spelling errors �
5 – Strong!
Your paragraph effectively accomplishes the requirements of the task.
Analyses or presents the topic in a well-organized manner �Focused topic sentence uses active language �Body is developed with appropriate support �Concluding sentence affirms the main idea of the paragraph �
Focused, on topic, and developed �Appropriate vocabulary, word choice, and transitions �Sentence structure is varied and competent but uneven in places �Minor mechanical or spelling errors �
4 – good
Your paragraph adequately fulfils the requirements of the task.
Analyses or presents the topic in a predictable manner �Topic sentence is clearly stated �Body is developed with some effective support �Concluding sentence completes the paragraph �
Generally focused; may stray off topic; adequate development �Vocabulary, word choice and transitions are simple but correct �Sentence structure is correct, but simple sentences predominate �Some mechanical or spelling errors are present but do not affect �understanding
3 – A PASS
Your paragraph accomplishes the task at a basic level.
Analyses or presents the topic in a manner which is difficult to �followA topic sentence is present, though not clearly stated �Body is developed with thin or repetitive support �Concluding sentence attempts to complete the paragraph �
Loose focus; may stray off topic; limited development �Vocabulary is basic and repetitive; transitions may be ineffective �Sentence structure is awkward or simplistic �Mechanical or spelling errors are present but do not impact meaning �
2 – AlmoSt
Your paragraph does not accomplish the basic task.
Analyses or presents the topic in a manner which is illogical or �insufficientParagraph structure and development is weak �Topic sentence is vague or not present �Concluding sentence may not be present or may add new, �unrelated information
Simple sentence forms predominate �Numerous mechanical or spelling errors disrupt the flow of the �writingLacks focus, purpose, and development �Vocabulary is informal and often colloquial; transitions are not �present
1 – not YEt
Your paragraph is incomplete
Paragraph may be limited to one to two sentences �A topic sentence is not present or does not introduce the topic �Structure and development are not present �Paragraph lacks a concluding sentence �
Lacks focus, purpose, or does not have a single, clear topic �Vocabulary is immature or vague; word choice is not appropriate �Sentence structure is incoherent �Frequent grammar or spelling errors affect understanding �
0 – not At All Paragraph is too brief to evaluate or not attempted at all �
Multi-ParagraPh Scoring guide
Content – what is said: Written Expression – how it’s said:
6 – WoW!
Your composition is engaging and developed with originality and flair. The writing is consistently strong in content and expression.
Introduction captures the audience’s attention with an imaginative lead �Thesis is clearly articulated, engaging, and developed throughout the �compositionParagraphs are well-developed with insightful support and organized �for an intentional effectiveConcluding paragraph is original, creative, and discerning; it presents �a convincing, final statement
Writing is focused and on topic, with strong voice �and expressionVocabulary and word choice are effective and �sophisticatedSentence structure is varied and controlled; �transitional and topic sentences are well executedFew mechanical or spelling errors �
5 – Strong!
Your composition is effective and has a clear sense of purpose; however, there are areas of minor weakness that could be further polished.
Introduction directs the reader to the topic in an interesting way �Thesis argues a clear point, and is developed through composition �Paragraphs are well-developed with appropriate support and logically �organized Concluding paragraph engages the reader; it presents a final statement �
Writing is focused and on topic �Vocabulary and word choice are appropriate �Sentence structure is varied and competent; �transitional and topic sentences are used carefully Mechanical or spelling errors are minor and do not �interfere
4 – good
Your composition is competent and straightforward; there are areas of weakness that could be developed with more originality of thought or expression.
Introduction states the main idea of the essay but may be predictable �Thesis is simply expressed and developed through the composition �Paragraphs exist with adequate support and are organized logically �Concluding paragraph makes a final statement, but is predictable in its �ideas
Writing is generally clear and remains on topic �Vocabulary and word choice are simple but correct �Sentence structure is correct, but simple; transitional �and topic sentences are predictable Some mechanical or spelling errors are present but �do not affect understanding
3 – A PASS
Your composition is passable and basic; deeper exploration of the ideas and more effective expression are required.
Introduction is present but is unimaginative; may be linked to first �body paragraphThesis is apparent but weak or not directly supported by the composition �Paragraphs may be brief, unimaginative, or off topic; organization is �difficult to followConcluding paragraph makes a final statement but is over-simplified �
Writing is unfocused but attempts to address the topic �Vocabulary is basic and repetitive �Sentence structure is awkward or simplistic; �transitional and topic sentences may not be effectiveMechanical or spelling errors are present but do not �impact meaning
2 – AlmoSt
Your composition is weak and under-developed. More attention to developing ideas and structuring the composition are required.
Introduction is not present or is mixed into the main body of the �compositionThesis is suggested but not clearly stated or developed �Paragraphs may be too poorly developed or organized to communicate �meaningConcluding paragraph is not present or mixed into a body paragraph �
Writing is unfocused and often unclear �Vocabulary is informal and often colloquial �Simple sentence forms predominate; transitional �sentences are not presentNumerous mechanical or spelling errors disrupt the �flow of the writing
1 – not YEt
Your composition is inaccurate or incomplete.
No attempt to include an introduction and conclusion to frame the �compositionStructure is very weak – very brief or single paragraph �Ideas are poorly developed with little sequence or logic �
Controlling idea and purpose are not clear �Vocabulary is immature or vague; word choice is not �appropriateFrequent grammar or spelling errors impede �understanding
0 – not At All The composition is too brief to evaluate or is not present at all. �
Journal Scoring guide
Content – what is said: Written Expression – how it’s said:
4 – good!
Your journal response is reflective, detailed, and lively.
Actively helps to organize and facilitate the group �Obvious purpose for writing �Interesting and engaging to the reader �Intentional organizational structure �
Specific, accurate information �Well-chosen examples and details �Insightful reflections and connections to broader issues �
3 – A PASS
Your journal response is reflective, effective, and solid.
Sense of purpose is apparent �Good development but unoriginal �Clear organizational structure �
Accurate but general information �Appropriate examples and details �Basic reflections and connections to broader issues �
2 – AlmoSt
Your journal response is minimally developed and weak.
Purpose is hard to determine �Minimal development and unoriginal ideas �Loose organizational structure; difficult to follow �
Brief and generalized information �Obvious or unrelated examples and details �Few reflections and connections to broader issue �
1 – not YEt
Your journal response is inaccurate and incomplete.
Sense of purpose is not evident �Response is too brief to evaluate �Disorganized structure makes the response difficult to understand �
Presents brief and possibly inaccurate information �Response is a summary or a single idea rather than a reflection �
0 – not At All Your journal response is barely answered or not answered at all. �
nonSenSe PoeM Scoring guide
general Sound Patterns
4 – good!
Your nonsense poem is entertaining! Your assignment also makes excellent use of a variety of sound devices, and correctly identifies them in your poem.
poem employs perfect rhyme in the style of Dr. Seuss �language use is vivid and sophisticated; makes use of nonsense �freedoms to create new words to work into rhyme schemehighly effective use of nonsense imagery �poem is ten lines or longer �
successfully demonstrates four to five sound patterns �successfully identifies and defines four to five of the sound patterns �in the poemtwo of the sound patterns demonstrated and identified are unique �from the lesson demonstration
3 – A PASS!
Your nonsense poem is solid. Your assignment also makes use of some sound devices, and correctly identifies them in your poem.
poem employs perfect rhyme mostly consistent with the style of �Dr. Seussuse of nonsense imagery is included throughout �language is appropriate, but not varied �poem is at least ten lines �
successfully demonstrates at least three sound patterns �successfully identifies and defines at least three of the sound �patterns in the poemat least one of the sound patterns demonstrated and identified is �unique from the lesson demonstration
2 – AlmoSt
Your nonsense poem is minimally developed, and does not adequately demonstrate enough sound patterns.
poem attempts perfect rhyme, but does not sustain the scheme �throughout the poemlanguage is correct, but not varied �nonsense imagery attempted, but poem lacks clarity in places �poem is not quite ten lines long �
successfully demonstrates two sound patterns �successfully identifies and defines at least two of the sound patterns �in the poemthe sound patterns demonstrated and identified are not unique �from the lesson demonstration
1 – not YEt
Your nonsense poem assignment is inaccurate and incomplete.
poem does not attempt a consistent rhyme scheme �incorrect word usage; little variety in word choice �no nonsense imagery present, poem is unclear �poem is too short �
may successfully demonstrate one sound poem, but does not �identify in poem, or other definitionthe sound patterns is not unique from the lesson demonstration �
0 – not At All Presentation is too brief to evaluate or not attempted at all. �
oral coMMunication Scoring guide
Content organization delivery
4 – good!
Your journal response is reflective, detailed, and lively.
Main idea is stated clearly �Support is well chosen �Language use is vivid and sophisticated �
Substantial preparation is evident �Topic is logically developed to suit �purposeEffective use of transitions �
Voice is used consciously and successfully �to enhance the messageAudio/visuals are carefully chosen to �enhance the presentationEngages or entertains audience �
3 – A PASS
Your journal response is reflective, effective, and solid.
Main idea is stated �Support is adequate �Language is appropriate but not varied �
Some preparation is evident �Topic is clearly developed to suit purpose �Transitions are used but may not be �obvious
Voice is appropriate and correct but may �not enhance the messageAudio/visuals are used with some effect to �enhance the presentationMaintains audience interest �
2 – AlmoSt
Your journal response is minimally developed and weak.
Main idea is present but not clearly stated �Support is weak or illogical �Language is correct but not varied �
Little preparation is evident �Loose structure is present but difficult to �followTransitions are not used appropriately �
In some places, voice problems interfere �with message deliveryAudio/visuals are used ineffectively �Audience may struggle to understand or �follow the presentation
1 – not YEt
Your journal response is inaccurate and incomplete.
Main idea is not stated �Support is under-developed or not �evidentIncorrect word usage; little variety in �word choice
Preparation is not evident �May be repetitive or off topic �Transitions are not used �
Voice problems interfere with message �deliveryAudio/visuals are not used �Audience is unable to understand or �follow the presentation
0 – not At All Presentation is too brief to evaluate or not attempted at all. �
oral coMMunication Scoring guide for oral interPretation
Preparation delivery
6 – ExCEllEnt!
Your oral interpretation is thoughtfully considered, engaging, expressive, and illuminating..
substantial preparation is evident �poem chosen is very well suited to oral delivery, containing many �sound devices, perhaps humour, or other elementschoices of where to place emphasis, pauses, changes in pitch and �volume are very effective
voice is used consciously and successfully to �enhance the messageany music/visuals are carefully chosen to enhance �the presentationengages and entertains audience �reading is delivered seamlessly �
5 – good!
Your composition is effective and has a clear sense of purpose; however, there are areas of minor weakness that could be further polished.
substantial preparation is evident �poem chosen is one well suited to oral delivery, containing many �sound deviceschoices of where to place emphasis, pauses, changes in pitch and �volume are satisfactory
voice is used consciously and successfully to �enhance the messageany music/visuals are carefully chosen to enhance �the presentationengages or entertains audience �reading is mostly seamless, with few errors �
4 – SAtiSfACtorY!
Your composition is competent and straightforward; there are areas of weakness that could be developed with more originality of thought or expression.
adequate preparation is evident �poem chosen is satisfactorily suited to oral delivery �choices of where to place emphasis, pauses, changes in pitch and �volume are satisfactory
voice is used mostly successfully to enhance the �messageany music/visuals chosen mostly enhance the �presentationengages or entertains audience �reading is mostly seamless, with some errors �
3 – A PASS
Your composition is passable and basic; deeper exploration of the ideas and more effective expression are required.
some preparation is evident �poem chosen is minimally suitable for oral delivery �choices of where to place emphasis, pauses, changes in pitch and �volume are minimally acceptable
voice is appropriate and correct, but may not �enhance the messageany music/visuals chosen have little effect on the �presentationreading maintains audience interest �
2 – AlmoSt
Your composition is weak and under-developed. More attention to developing ideas and structuring the composition are required.
little preparation is evident �poem chosen is too short, or is not the best choice for oral delivery �choices of where to place emphasis, pauses, changes in pitch and �volume are not appropriate
voice problems interfere with message delivery in �placesany music/visuals chosen are used ineffectively �audience may struggle to understand or follow the �presentation
1 – not YEt
Your composition is inaccurate or incomplete.
preparation is not evident �poem appears to be chosen without consideration for how it would be �read aloud, or the audience to receive itusing emphasis, pauses, changes in pitch and volume are not �considered
voice problems interfere with message delivery �any music/visuals chosen are totally ineffective �audience is unable to understand or follow the �presentation
0 – not At All You did not submit a recording of, or deliver an oral interpretation of a poem. �
oral PreSentation of editorial Scoring guide
Content organization delivery
4 – good!
Your editorial presentation is reflective, detailed, and lively.
Local issue and opinion are stated clearly �Support is well chosen �Language use is vivid and sophisticated �Personal experience is included �
Substantial preparation is evident �Topic is logically developed to suit �purposeEffective use of transitions �
Voice is used consciously and successfully �to enhance the messageAudio/visuals are carefully chosen to �enhance the presentationEngages or entertains audience �
3 – A PASS
Your editorial presentation response is reflective, effective, and solid.
Local issue and opinion are stated �Support is adequate �Language is appropriate but not varied �
Some preparation is evident �Topic is clearly developed to suit purpose �Transitions are used but may not be �obvious
Voice is appropriate and correct but may �not enhance the messageAudio/visuals are used with some effect �to enhance the presentationMaintains audience interest �
2 – AlmoSt
Your editorial presentation is minimally developed and weak.
Opinion is present but not clearly stated �Support is weak or illogical �Language is correct not varied �
Little preparation is evident �Loose structure is present but difficult to �followTransitions are not used appropriately �
Voice problems interfere with message �delivery in placesAudio/visuals are used ineffectively �Audience may struggle to understand or �follow the presentation
1 – not YEt
Your editorial presentation is confused and incomplete.
Main idea is not stated �Support is under-developed or not �evidentIncorrect word usage; little variety in �word choice
Preparation is not evident �May be repetitive or off topic �Transitions are not used �
Voice problems interfere with message �deliveryAudio/visuals are not used �Audience is unable to understand or �follow the presentation
0 – not At All Presentation is too brief to evaluate or not attempted at all. �
Short anSwer Scoring guide
Content
6 – WoW!
Your answer shows a thorough understanding of the question.
Analysis and presentation of information is consistent and very logically sequenced �Ideas are tightly focused, on topic, and fully developed �
5 – Strong!
Your answer effectively answers the question.
Analysis and presentation of information is well organized and well sequenced �Ideas are well focused, on topic, and well developed �
4 – good
Your answer adequately answers the question.
Analysis and presentation of information is satisfactorally organized and sequenced �Ideas are generally focused and adequately developed �
3 – A PASS
You have answered the question at a basic level.
Analysis and presentation are at times difficult to follow �An answer to the question is present, though not clearly stated �The answer has a loose focus, may stray off topic, and is minimally developed �
2 – AlmoSt
Your have not sufficiently answered the question.
The presentation or analysis of information in the answer is illogical or insufficient �Language use in the answer is weak �The answer lacks focus, purpose, and development �
1 – not YEt
Your answer is incomplete.
The answer may be limited in scope �The answer does not address the question clearly, lacks focus and purpose �Vocabulary is immature or vague; word choice is not appropriate �Sentence structure is incoherent �Frequent grammar or spelling errors affect understanding �
0 – not At All Answer � is too brief to evaluate or not attempted at all.
Scoring guide for ViSual PoeM
images design
6 – ExCEllEnt!
Your visual poem is thoughtfully considered, engaging, expressive, and illuminating.
images create a tone that reflects the dream poem �images communicate any symbolism in the dream poem �images illustrate figurative devices in the poem such as �metaphor or simile
thoughtful and well executed layout choices have been made to �present text and imagethe poem may experiment with movement or sound as well as �graphic elements
5 – good!
Your visual poem is well considered, expressive, and illuminating.
images create a tone that reflects a part of the dream poem �images may communicate any symbolism in the dream poem �images illustrate figurative devices in the poem such as �metaphor or simile
above-average layout choices have been made to present text and �image, with some demonstration of thoughtfulness included
4 – SAtiSfACtorY
Your visual poem exceeds minimum expectations.
images convey the tone of the poem satisfactorily �image choice is logical, based on the poem �
the visual poem includes all the required elements �
3 – A PASS
Your visual poem minimally meets expectations.
minimal attempt was made to create a cohesive picture with �the imagesimages minimally relate to the poem �images minimally communicate the tone of the poem �
the visual poem is missing some of the required elements �
2 – AlmoSt
Your visual poem is not well developed and is weak.
attempt to create a cohesive picture with images is �unsatisfactoryimages do not relate to the poem �images do not successfully communicate the tone of the poem �
the visual poem is missing many of the required elements �
1 – not YEt
Your visual poem is incomplete.
attempt to create an image or images unsuccessful � the visual poem is missing all of the required elements �
0 – not At All No attempt was made to create a cohesive picture with the images �
grouP work Scoring guide
leadership: teamwork:
4 – good!
Contributes positively and effectively to the group.
Actively helps to organize and facilitate the group �Consistently maintains a positive attitude �Seeks and incorporates the ideas of others �Follows through on individual commitments with a �dedication to quality
Works with others respectfully and encouragingly to achieve the group’s purpose �Identifies missing perspectives and offers meaningful feedback �Delivers thoughts in an articulate, convincing manner �Asks valuable questions, offers insightful examples, or accurately paraphrases �main ideas
3 – A PASS
Contributes appropriately to the group.
Helps to organize and facilitate the group when prompted �Often maintains a positive attitude �Listens to and incorporates the ideas of others �Follows through on individual contributions with a �commitment to good quality
Often works with others respectfully to achieve the group’s purpose �Attempts to identify missing perspectives, but may do so unevenly �Delivers thoughts in clear and logical manner �Asks relevant questions, offers related examples, or paraphrases general ideas �
2 – AlmoSt
Contributes minimally to the group.
Occasionally helps to organize and facilitate the group �when promptedDoes not consistently maintain a good attitude �Occasionally listens to and incorporates the ideas of �othersFollows through on individual contributions with a �commitment to satisfactory quality
Attempts to identify missing perspectives, though these may be inaccurate �Delivers thoughts in a manner which is difficult to understand �Asks questions, offers examples, or paraphrases ideas, but these may be minimal �or unrelated
1 – not YEt
Participation is weak.
Does not help to organize and facilitate group �May not bring a positive attitude to the group �Is a passive participant in the group �Individual contributions are incomplete or not �satisfactory
May work in opposition to the group’s purpose �Does not attempt to identify missing perspectives �Delivers thoughts in a manner which is difficult to understand or is non- �participatoryDoes not ask relevant questions, offer examples, or paraphrase main ideas �
0 – not At All Has not participated enough to evaluate �
reSearch writing rubric — forM
domains Consistent Control – 4 reasonable Control – 3 inconsistent Control – 2 little/no Control – 1
StYlEUses precise vocabulary �unique to the content area or topicRelates to a specific audience �with a clearly identified purposeTone/voice/point of view �appropriate to content and grade levelSentence variety, length, and �complexity appropriate to content and grade level
Uses less precise vocabulary �unique to the content area or topicRelates to a specific audience �with an identified purposeTone/voice/point of view �adequate for content and grade levelSentence variety, length, and �complexity adequate for content and grade level
Uses general vocabulary not �specific to the content area or topicDoes not relate to an �audience and/or has no clear purposeTone/voice/point of view �not appropriate or sustainedSentence variety, length, and �complexity, inadequate for content and grade level
Uses little or no vocabulary �from the content area or topicNo awareness of audience or �purposeLittle or no control of tone/ �voice/point of viewSentence variety, length, and �complexity inappropriate to content and grade level
StruCturEWrites in complete �sentences, using standard word order and subordinationUses capitalization, �punctuation, spelling, and format (paragraph indentation, division of words by syllables) correctlyUses standard grammar �
Makes occasional sentence �errors, but not significant enough to distract from the meaning of the documentMakes occasional �mechanical errors, but not sufficient to distract from the meaning of the documentMakes occasional �grammatical errors, but not sufficient to distract from the meaning of the document
Makes frequent sentence �errors, which distract from the meaning of the documentMakes frequent mechanical �errors, which distract from the meaning of the documentMakes frequent grammatical �errors, which distract from the meaning of the document
Displays little or no �understanding of sentence formationDisplays little or no �understanding of appropriate punctuation or conventional spellingDisplays little or no �understanding of grammar usage
PrESEntAtion Paper legible and neat �Correct mla documentation, �page formatting, and numbering without error
Paper legible and generally �neatCorrect mla documentation, �page formatting, and numbering with few errors
Paper difficult to read �Inconsistent mla �documentation, page formatting, and numbering; many errors
Paper very difficult to read �Little or no mla �documentation, page formatting, and numbering
Used by permission of Prince William County Public Schools. Source: Prince William County Public Schools Eleventh Grade Research Writing Student Handbook
reSearch writing rubric — content
level Consistent Control – 4 reasonable Control – 3 inconsistent Control – 2 little/no Control – 1
thESiSOne central idea/concept/ �hypothesis/premise fully and precisely statedDeveloped consistently �throughout the document
One central idea/concept/ �hypothesis/premise stated but not perfectly clearDeveloped somewhat �throughout the document
Idea/concept/hypothesis/ �premiseSuggested, but not stated �Inconsistent development �Throughout the document �
No apparent idea/concept/ �hypothesis/premise
EvidEnCE/SuPPortStrong support for thesis by �drawing information from multiple sourcesAll information relevant, �reliable and up-to-dateAll information accurately �stated; appropriate use of summarization, paraphrasing and quotations
Adequate support for thesis �by drawing information from various sourcesMost information relevant, �reliable and up-to-dateMost information accurately �stated; appropriate use of summarization, paraphrasing and quotations
Support for thesis weak, or �from too few sourcesSome information �irrelevant, unreliable, or out-of-dateSome information �accurately stated; information mostly paraphrased or quoted
Support for thesis �inadequateMost information irrelevant, �unreliable, or out-of-dateMuch information �inaccurately stated
unitYNo distracting information �All differences among sources �handled effectivelyAppropriate balance between �narrative/descriptive material and critical analysis
Little distracting �informationMost differences among �sources handled effectivelyAdequate balance between �narrative/descriptive material and critical analysis
Some distracting �informationDifferences among sources �inadequately handledSome balance between �narrative/descriptive materials and critical analysis
Much distracting �informationDifferences among sources �not handledInadequate balance between �narrative/descriptive material and critical analysis
orgAnizAtionUses logical progression of �evidence or support for ideas/concepts/hypotheses/premises according to the content areaTransitions facilitate flow of �ideas/concepts/hypotheses/premisesConclusion contains no �distracting information which digresses from the thesisIf appropriate, the conclusion �clearly indicates unsolved questions and new questions that have emerged from the research
Generally uses a logical �progression of evidence and support for ideas/concepts/hypotheses/premises according to the content areaTransitions used between �many ideasConclusion contains no �distracting information which digresses from the thesis
Lapses in progression of �evidence or support for ideas/concepts/hypotheses/premises according to the content areaFew transitions between �ideasConclusion is simply stated �
Little or no progression �of evidence or support for ideas/concepts/hypotheses/premises according to the content areaNo transitions between �ideasNo conclusion �
Used by permission of Prince William County Public Schools. Source: Prince William County Public Schools Eleventh Grade Research Writing Student Handbook
ProSe PoeM Scoring guide
general Poetic devices
4 – good!
Your prose poem isn’t mere prose! It has strong imagery and effectively uses sound and figurative devices.
language use is vivid and sophisticated �poem is between 125–175 words �poem is presented in paragraph form, without line breaks �concrete, sensory image present �avoids general language �
uses three or more poetic devices in total �uses one or more figurative devices �uses one or more sound devices �
3 – A PASS!
Your prose poem is solid. You make use of poetic devices.
language use is vivid �poem is between 125–175 words �poem is presented in paragraph form, without line breaks �sensory imagery is present �some language is general, not specific �
uses three or more poetic devices in total �uses one figurative device �uses one sound device �
2 – AlmoSt
Your prose poem is minimally developed, and does not adequately demonstrate poetic devices.
language shows errors, tends toward the general �imagery lacks clarity in places �poem may be broken into lines �poem runs short of 125 words, or is longer than 175 �lacks sensory images �
uses one or two poetic devices in total �may use a sound device but no figurative device, or a figurative �device, but no sound device
1 – not YEt
Your prose poem is seriously flawed or incomplete.
incorrect word usage; little variety in word choice �imagery is confused, meaning throughout poem is unclear �poem may be broken into lines �poem is too short or too long �
may successfully demonstrate one poetic device �may attempt, but not successfully use an intended poetic device �
0 – not At All Poem is too brief to evaluate, or not attempted at all. �
lyric PoeM Scoring guide
general Poetic devices
4 – good!
Your lyric has strong imagery and a musical quality. You effectively use sound and figurative devices.
language use is vivid and sophisticated �poem is at least ten lines long, but not more than 3/4 page long �poem effectively conveys an emotion through sounds and clear �imageryIf the lyric is a song, there is a strong musical quality to the �poem—use of refrains and other devices common to songs are present poem is focused on a single emotion or experience �concrete, sensory image present �avoids general language �
uses three or more poetic devices in total �uses one or more figurative devices �uses one or more sound devices �
3 – A PASS!
Your lyric poem is solid. You make use of poetic devices.
language use is vivid �poem is at least ten lines long, but not more than 3/4 page long �poem conveys an emotion through sounds and clear imagery �If the lyric is a song, there is a musical quality to the poem �poem is mostly focused on a single emotion or experience �sensory imagery is present �some language is general, not specific �
uses three or more poetic devices in total �uses one figurative device �uses one sound device �
2 – AlmoSt
Your lyric poem is minimally developed, and does not adequately demonstrate poetic devices.
language shows errors, tends toward the general �imagery lacks clarity in places �poem is not quite ten lines long, or is too long �emotion is not clear in places, or the poem attempts to convey �more than one emotion or experiencelacks sensory images �
uses one or two poetic devices in total �may use a sound device but no figurative device, or a figurative �device, but no sound device
1 – not YEt
Your lyric poem is seriously flawed or incomplete.
poem does not attempt to convey a single emotion or experience �incorrect word usage; little variety in word choice �imagery is confused, meaning throughout poem is unclear �poem is too short or too long sensory imagery not attempted �
may successfully demonstrate one poetic device �may attempt, but not successfully use an intended poetic device �
0 – not At All Poem is too brief to evaluate, or not attempted at all. �
free VerSe PoeM Scoring guide
general Poetic devices
4 – good!
Your free verse poem has strong imagery, and effectively uses sound and figurative devices.
language use is vivid and sophisticated �poem is at least 125 words, but not more than two pages long �poem does not follow a set metrical or rhyme scheme �the poem is unified through use of rhythm and other sound and �poetic devicesconcrete, sensory image present �avoids general language �
uses three or more poetic devices in total �uses one or more figurative devices �uses one or more sound devices �
3 – A PASS!
Your free verse poem is solid. You make correct use of poetic devices.
language use is vivid �poem is at least 125 words, but not more than two pages long �the poem is unified through use of rhythm or other sound and �poetic devicessensory imagery is present �some language is general, not specific �
uses three or more poetic devices in total �uses one figurative device �uses one sound device �
2 – AlmoSt
Your free verse poem is minimally developed, and does not adequately demonstrate poetic devices.
language shows errors, tends toward the general �imagery lacks clarity in places �poem lacks unification through rhythm or sound devices �poem runs short of 125 words, or is longer than two pages �lacks sensory images �
uses one or two poetic devices in total �may use a sound device but no figurative device, or a figurative �device, but no sound device
1 – not YEt
Your free verse poem is seriously flawed or incomplete.
incorrect word usage; little variety in word choice �imagery is confused, meaning throughout poem is unclear �poem does not have any unifying elements �poem is too short or too long �sensory imagery not attempted �
may successfully demonstrate one poetic device �may attempt, but not successfully use an intended poetic device �
0 – not At All Poem is too brief to evaluate, or not attempted at all. �
Mu
lti-P
ar
ag
ra
Ph S
co
rin
g gu
ide fo
r Po
et
ry c
oM
Pa
riSo
n: co
nt
en
t
Co
nten
t – wh
at is said:
6 – Wo
W!
Your com
position
is engagin
g and
develop
ed
with
origin
ality and
flair. T
he w
riting
is con
sistently stro
ng in
conten
t and
exp
ression.
Introdu
ction captu
res the au
dience’s atten
tion w
ith an
imagin
ative lead
�
Th
esis is clearly articulated
, engagin
g, and
develop
ed th
rough
out th
e
�com
position
Paragraph
s are well-d
eveloped
with
insigh
tful su
pp
ort and
organized
for an
�
inten
tional effective
Th
ough
tfully con
siders p
oetic devices an
d h
ow a w
ide variety of im
pression
s
�are created
for the read
er, and
refers to these to su
pp
ort statemen
ts mad
e abou
t the p
oems
Con
clud
ing p
aragraph
is original, creative, an
d d
iscernin
g; it presen
ts a
�con
vincin
g, fin
al statemen
t
5 – Str
on
g!
Your com
position is effective an
d has a clear
sense of p
urp
ose; h
owever, th
ere are areas of m
ino
r weak
ness th
at could be fu
rther
polished.
Introd
uction
directs th
e reader to th
e topic in
an in
teresting w
ay
�
Th
esis argues a clear p
oint, an
d is d
eveloped
throu
gh com
position
�
Paragraph
s are well-d
eveloped
with
app
ropriate su
pp
ort and
logically
�organ
ized
Con
siders h
ow a variety of im
pression
s are created for th
e reader, an
d refers
�
to these to su
pp
ort statemen
ts mad
e about th
e poem
sC
onclu
din
g paragrap
h en
gages the read
er; it presen
ts a fin
al statemen
t
�
4 – go
od
!
Your com
position is co
mp
etent an
d straigh
tforw
ard; th
ere are areas of w
eakn
ess th
at could be developed w
ith m
ore
origin
ality of thou
ght or expression
.
Introd
uction
states the m
ain id
ea of the essay bu
t may be p
redictable
�
Th
esis is simp
ly expressed
and
develop
ed th
rough
the com
position
�
Paragraph
s exist with
adeq
uate su
pp
ort and
are organized
logically
�
Con
siders h
ow som
e imp
ressions are created
for the read
er. Assign
men
t may
�
fail to link th
ese imp
ressions as su
pp
ort to statemen
ts about th
e poem
sC
onclu
din
g paragrap
h m
akes a fin
al statemen
t, but is p
redictable in
its ideas
�
3 – A PA
SS
Your com
position
is passab
le and
basic;
deep
er exp
loratio
n of th
e ideas an
d m
ore effective exp
ression are req
uired
.
Introd
uction
is presen
t but is u
nim
aginative; m
ay be linked
to first bod
y
�p
aragraph
Thesis is apparen
t but weak or n
ot directly supported by the com
position
�
Paragraph
s may be brief, u
nim
aginative, or off top
ic; organization
is diffi
cult
�
to followSom
e men
tion of im
pression
s is given, bu
t they fail to su
pp
ort statemen
ts
�abou
t the p
oems
Con
clud
ing p
aragraph
makes a fi
nal statem
ent bu
t is over-simp
lified
�
2 – Al
mo
St
Your com
position
is weak
and
un
der-
develo
ped
. More atten
tion to d
evelop
ing
ideas an
d stru
cturin
g the co
mp
ositio
n are
requ
ired.
Introd
uction
is not p
resent or is m
ixed in
to the m
ain bod
y of the
�
comp
ositionT
hesis is su
ggested bu
t not clearly stated
or develop
ed
�
Paragraph
s may be too p
oorly develop
ed or organ
ized to com
mu
nicate
�
mean
ing
Missin
g a consid
eration of h
ow im
pression
s are created in
the p
oems
�
Con
clud
ing p
aragraph
is not p
resent or m
ixed in
to a body p
aragraph
�
1 – no
t Y
Et
Your com
position
is inaccu
rate or in
com
plete.
No attem
pt to in
clud
e an in
trodu
ction an
d con
clusion
to frame th
e
�com
position
Structu
re is very weak—
very brief or single p
aragraph
�
“How
to Swallow
a Poem” p
reparatory w
ork does n
ot app
ear to have been
�d
one
Ideas are p
oorly develop
ed w
ith little seq
uen
ce or logic
�
0 – no
t A
t A
ll
Mu
lti-P
ar
ag
ra
Ph S
co
rin
g gu
ide fo
r Po
et
ry c
oM
Pa
riSo
n: wr
itt
en e
xP
re
SSion
Written
Ex
pressio
n – h
ow it’s said
:
6 – Wo
W!
Your com
position
is engagin
g and
develop
ed
with
origin
ality and
flair. T
he w
riting
is con
sistently stro
ng in
conten
t and
exp
ression.
Writin
g is focused
and
on top
ic, with
strong voice an
d exp
ression
�
Vocabu
lary and
word
choice are effective an
d sop
histicated
�
Senten
ce structu
re is varied an
d con
trolled; tran
sitional an
d top
ic senten
ces
�are w
ell executed
Few m
echan
ical or spellin
g errors
�
5 – Str
on
g!
Your com
position is effective an
d has a clear
sense of p
urp
ose; h
owever, th
ere are areas of m
ino
r weak
ness th
at could be fu
rther
polished.
Writin
g is focused
and
on top
ic
�
Vocabu
lary and
word
choice are ap
prop
riate
�
Senten
ce structu
re is varied an
d com
peten
t; transition
al and
topic sen
tences
�
are used
carefully
Mech
anical or sp
elling errors are m
inor an
d d
o not in
terfere
�
4 – go
od
!
Your com
position is co
mp
etent an
d straigh
tforw
ard; th
ere are areas of w
eakn
ess th
at could be developed w
ith m
ore
origin
ality of thou
ght or expression
.
Writin
g is generally clear an
d rem
ains on
topic
�
Vocabu
lary and
word
choice are sim
ple bu
t correct
�
Senten
ce structu
re is correct, but sim
ple; tran
sitional an
d top
ic senten
ces are
�p
redictable
Some m
echan
ical or spellin
g errors are presen
t but d
o not affect
�
un
derstan
din
g
3 – A PA
SS
Your com
position
is passab
le and
basic;
deep
er exp
loratio
n of th
e ideas an
d m
ore effective exp
ression are req
uired
.
Writin
g is unfocused but attem
pts to address the topic
�
Vocabu
lary is basic and
repetitive
�
Senten
ce structu
re is awkw
ard or sim
plistic; tran
sitional an
d top
ic senten
ces
�m
ay not be effective
Mech
anical or sp
elling errors are p
resent bu
t do n
ot imp
act mean
ing
�
2 – Al
mo
St
Your com
position
is weak
and
un
der-
develo
ped
. More atten
tion to d
evelop
ing
ideas an
d stru
cturin
g the co
mp
ositio
n are
requ
ired.
Writin
g is un
focused
and
often u
nclear
�
Vocabu
lary is inform
al and
often colloq
uial
�
Simp
le senten
ce forms p
redom
inate; tran
sitional sen
tences are n
ot presen
t
�
Nu
merou
s mech
anical or sp
elling errors d
isrup
t the fl
ow of th
e writin
g
�
1 – no
t Y
Et
Your com
position
is inaccu
rate or in
com
plete.
Con
trolling id
ea and
pu
rpose are n
ot clear
�
Vocabu
lary is imm
ature or vagu
e; word
choice is n
ot app
ropriate
�
Frequ
ent gram
mar or sp
elling errors im
ped
e un
derstan
din
g
�
0 – no
t A
t A
ll
Th
e comp
osition is too brief to evalu
ate or not p
resent at all.
0
5 Strong!
4 Good!
3 A Pass!
2 Almost
1 Not Yet
Your superior paper is clear, complete, and to the point:
❑ Follows proper business letter format❑ Task or problem identified and communicated effectively❑ Word choice and overall tone are professional❑ Specific course of action proposed; suitable closing statement❑ May contain a couple of writing errors
Your effective response is clear and to the point:
❑ Follows proper business letter format❑ Task or problem identified and communicated❑ Word choice and overall tone are acceptable❑ Specific course of action proposed; suitable closing statement❑ May contain a handful of minor writing errors that do not interfere with meaning
Your competent paper is generally clear: ❑ Follows business letter format, though may contain minor errors❑ Task or problem communicated, but may be vague❑ Includes some of the necessary details❑ Word choice and tone may be minimally acceptable❑ Course of action may be vague; closing statement may be absent or unsuitable❑ A number of errors in writing, but meaning is still clear
Your adequate response is barely acceptable:
❑ Follows basic business letter format, though may contain errors ❑ Task or problem poorly communicated; may be unclear or disorganized❑ Word choice and tone may be minimally acceptable❑ Course of action may be absent or vague; closing statement may be absent or unsuitable❑ Numerous errors may interfere with meaning in some places
Your inadequate response is unclear and disorganized:
❑ Does not follow business letter format❑ Task or problem may not be identified❑ Course of action may be absent or vague; closing statement may be absent or unsuitable❑ Word choice and tone may be unacceptable ❑ Errors may interfere with meaning
Your response is unacceptable:
❑ An attempt to respond was made❑ The response does not demonstrate an understanding of the passage❑ Much information is missing and the format is incorrect
The response is off topic or difficult to understand
6 Wow!
Business Letter Scoring Guide
0
5 Strong!
4 Good!
3 A Pass!
2 Almost
1 Not Yet
Your superior product is thoughtful, creative, and well designed:
❑ Product has a clear purpose and sense of audience❑ Includes significant and relevant details❑ Layout is balanced and logically organized❑ Effective use of titles and headlines; important elements are clearly emphasized❑ Strong visuals add to the product❑ May contain some minor errors
Your effective product is clear, organized, and well designed:
❑ Product has a sense of purpose and audience❑ Includes most significant details❑ Layout is balanced and logically organized❑ Appropriate titles and headlines with some elements emphasized❑ Effective visuals add to the product❑ May contain a handful of minor errors or gaps
Your competent product is acceptable:
❑ Product has some sense of audience and purpose❑ Some details may be missing or repeated❑ Organization is present but may lack balance❑ Acceptable titles and headings with some elements emphasized❑ A number of errors; some gaps present
Your adequate product is minimally acceptable:
❑ Weak sense of audience and purpose❑ May contain irrelevant details or some details may be missing❑ Lack of organization and balance❑ Titles, headings, and visuals may be weak or missing❑ Numerous errors; gaps are present
Your inadequate product is incomplete and unclear:
❑ Product doesn't address audience or purpose❑ Details are irrelevant or missing❑ Some visual support but lacks balance❑ Titles and headings are weak or missing; visuals less than acceptable❑ Numerous errors interfere with meaning
Your product is unacceptable:
❑ An attempt was made ❑ The product does not demonstrate an understanding of the purpose❑ Significant information is missing; layout is inappropriate
The product is off topic or difficult to understand
6 Wow!
Visual Design Scoring Guide
Visual Design Checklist
General Check
❑ the product is appropriate for and appeals to its audience❑ a headline near the top clearly identifies the product’s purpose
(may be accompanied by an applicable graphic)❑ only relevant information is included❑ information is divided into small, easily readable chunks,
often presented as lists or tables❑ chunks of information are identified with titles where appropriate
and are arranged in a logical order❑ graphics are used to add context, interest, and balance❑ important location and/or contact information is located near the bottom❑ a persuasive or summarizing statement, or action phrase,
may be included near the bottom
Design Element Check
Type
❑ the typeface(s) used are readable and complement the mood of the product❑ no more than 2 different typefaces are used❑ headlines are 18–24 pt, bold❑ body copy is very readable and 9–12 pt❑ bold is used to emphasize❑ italic is used to differentiate❑ type alignment looks balanced and easy to read
Graphics
❑ graphics which illustrate information are placed close to the corresponding text
❑ small graphics may be used to achieve balance❑ lines may be used to separate elements
White Space
❑ white space is provided to separate elements and achieve an uncluttered look
Colour
❑ colour may be used to add interest and attract the eye to important information❑ there is enough contrast between type and the background colour
Composition
❑ the composition complements the page size and proportions❑ elements are not too close to the page edge❑ the elements are visually balanced on the page